Barnes, James F.

James F. Barnes, born near Woodland, Yolo County, on September 12, 1858, became a prominent rancher and one of the oldest settlers of the West Side in Fresno County. He moved to the Coalinga area with his family in 1869, after spending his early childhood in Yolo and Tehama Counties. Though his formal education was delayed, he attended district school in Pleasant Valley in 1873 and learned the sheep business directly under his father, Talton Turner Barnes. In 1878, he launched a partnership with his brother Zach in the sheep industry that successfully lasted until 1887. His journey reflects the path of early native Californian residents who established agricultural roots in the developing regions of the state.

Following the dissolution of the partnership, Mr. Barnes expanded his property holdings by preempting and purchasing land, eventually homesteading his permanent 160 acre ranch in Warthan Canyon. He developed 240 cleared acres using water from Warthan Creek to irrigate alfalfa and grain while feeding cattle and hogs. Alongside his agricultural career, he served his community as a school trustee and clerk of the board for the Round Tree district, and worked as a deputy county assessor under William Hutchison. He raised six children with his wife, Mary Ellen Gribble, whom he married at Visalia. As a dedicated Democrat and highly esteemed citizen, his life work contributed substantially to the early public and economic life of Fresno County.